"I wanted you to have this."
by Brianna Aisling
Summary: It's about a gift for Ranma from Akane. It's set after the failed wedding.


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"I Wanted You to Have This."  
  
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Akane flipped through the book idly, yawning as she did so. She was tired and trying to motivate herself to work on her Native American project. It wasn't going very well. She did think they were interesting, but she had been kidnapped yet again today, and right now she just wanted to sleep. An image caught her eye, and Akane paused. She smiled as she read the short story on the page. Slowly, but very assuredly, an idea began to form. Smiling, Akane picked up the book and went to find her sister.  
  
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Ranma stared down at Akane, curious as to why she had been in a good mood for the past week. Finally, broken by his own imagination, he jumped down from the fence and asked.  
  
"Why am I in such a good mood? Because I found the perfect birthday gift."  
  
"For who?" he asked frowning. Had he forgotten someone's birthday? Akane laughed sweetly causing his stomach to flip.  
  
"You, silly," she said, punching him in the arm lightly and walking away. He stared after her, dumbfounded. His birthday was a month away. He hadn't expected her to remember it much less have "the perfect gift" for him. It was enough to make him want to cry. Unsettled, Ranma cursed under his breath.  
  
"Been spending too much time as a girl."  
  
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Akane smiled and opened the box delicately. Lifting up the object of her speculation, her smile grew wider. It was beautiful. She was sure he would love it. She gently placed it back in the box and then painstakingly wrapped it.  
  
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Ranma eyed his futon with distaste. He had come to hate sleeping since the wedding. Well, no, not the wedding, Jusendo. He couldn't remember exactly what happened in his nightmares, but he knew they had something to do with Akane's death. He was extremely grateful for not being able to remember. If the way he was screaming was any indication, he didn't want to remember them.  
  
Moving quickly, he stripped down to his boxers and undershirt. Then, he stood above his futon, trying to work up the courage to lie down. It was a nightly battle only he knew he fought. His father had moved in with his mother, but she had wanted him to stay at the Tendos, claiming it was because she didn't want to uproot him again. He suspected it was because of the rapidly growing friendship, actual, true, no hitting, no name-calling friendship, between him and Akane.  
  
A knock on the door settled his battle for him, and he spun and sat before calling out to the person on the other side of the door. He was surprised when Akane came in and closed the door behind her. She smiled at him. He grinned back weakly. Damn, she was cute.  
  
"Did ya want somethin', Akane?"  
  
Her smile grew wider. "Well, tomorrow's your birthday."  
  
"Yeah." He was confused. What did that have to do with anything?  
  
"I wanted to give you your gift tonight."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Again, almost impossibly, her smile grew wider. It was doing nothing to help him. It only made her all the cuter. Hell, right now it made her beautiful. Ranma blushed at his own thoughts and forced them to the back of his mind.  
  
"Well, it's something you can use tonight." She held out a package, and he took it from her. She had wrapped it herself, he could tell, but it wasn't as clumsily done as other packages.  
  
"It almost looks too good to open."  
  
Akane giggled and sat down cross-legged before him. "Almost?"  
  
"I still wanna open it."  
  
"Then what are you waiting for?"  
  
He grinned. And almost told her a kiss. Again that damnable blush spread across his cheeks and nose. Ranma turned his face to the package and began to unwrap it.  
  
Akane watched him nervously. She really wanted him to like it.  
  
Ranma lifted it up out of the box and stared at it. Once again, he was confused.  
  
"What is it?" Akane laughed.  
  
"It's a dream catcher. It's Native American."  
  
"A dream catcher? What does that mean?"  
  
Akane's mirth seemed to slip away from her. She wasn't sad now, but more serious.  
  
"There's this story that comes with it. It's in the box, but I want to tell you. You're supposed to hang it above your bed, over your head and then, at night, all your dreams will flow through the webbing and the nightmares will get caught, allowing all the good dreams to go through." She smiled softly and reached out to run her fingers over the webbing she meant.  
  
"It will keep you from having nightmares."  
  
She sounded so sincere, and he believed her. He trusted that his nightmares would be kept from him. Tears came to his eyes, and he ran his fingers down around the curve of the loop that held the webbing and down to the feathers hanging from it. No one had ever given him a gift so personal or so meaningful. He could read in it her desire for him to be happy, to be at peace, to be free from his pain. Never had he loved someone so completely. His fingers lingered over the feathers, feeling their softness. Her fingers came up and touched his. He looked up at her.  
  
"Do you like it?"  
  
His fingers let go of the feathers and took hold of her fingers. "I love it." I love you. "Will you help me hang it?"  
  
Akane nodded and started to stand. Ranma tugged on her hand, pulling it toward him, and she paused halfway up on her knees.  
  
"Thank you, Akane," he said quietly and kissed the back of her hand. He let go of her and stood. Akane said nothing, hiding the overwhelming emotions that had flooded her at his touch and helped him hang his gift.  
  
- - -  
  
They stood side by side looking at it. Finally Akane sighed and closed her eyes. She turned to Ranma.  
  
"Ranma."  
  
"Hmm? Yeah?" He turned to look at her. Somehow, in their silence, he had come to think that they were married. He wished that were. Akane looked up at him, studying him closely.  
  
"I think I love you."  
  
He stared at her. What? "What?"  
  
Akane gave a slight laugh and started to turn away. She couldn't say it again. Somehow it was too painful. She shook her head and tried to hide her tears. Ranma saw anyway and reached out and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Why are you crying? I haven't said anything yet."  
  
"I didn't mean to say that. I meant to say 'Happy birthday.'"  
  
"I think I like 'I love you' better."  
  
She began to cry and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her and let her cry.  
  
"Why do you like it better, Ranma?" she asked once she had calmed. She knew but he hadn't said it yet.  
  
"Because I love you too." Akane sighed into his chest and looked up. Her smile was back. She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't care what she had to say. She had already said what he wanted to hear. So, instead, he kissed her.  
  
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Whether it was from the dream catcher or finally hearing and saying 'I love you,' or maybe both, Ranma did not have nightmares that night. While he did not have them that night, he did have them other nights, but he was able to get rid of them eventually. The last night he had a nightmare was a week before his wedding to Akane.  
  
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Author's Note: In too-many-to-count fanfics, Ranma has nightmares about losing Akane for good. I think that he would have nightmares about that and that would be an ideal reason for him to receive a dream catcher as a gift. And, thus, a story was born.  
  
http://www.geocities.com/frankie_anne 


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